Harley-Davidson made a big push today, showing a number of bikes and concepts that it plans to bring to market by 2022. All of them were a big surprise, but one of them we already knew about: the Harley-Davidson Livewire.
While not as big of a shock as the adventure-touring Pan America concept, or the Harley-Davidson Streetfighteror Custom models (to say the least about its upcoming electric lineup), Harley-Davidson has given us something to talk about with this electric power cruiser.
Namely, the Harley-Davidson Livewire looks ready in production and in form, even though its official debut is still a year away.
Since we first saw the Livewire concept (below), a number of things have changed for the production model. We can see here that the chassis has been completely re-engineered, though it keeps the general look and feel of the concept machine’s frame and swingarm.
It is the swingarm that gets the biggest change, losing the sleek design from the concept, for something more tradition. The frame on the production model too loses some of the attractive lines on the concept, but its shape is intact overall.
The battery pack housing structure has grown, and is more visible. We also see a number of changes made for the weight that extra battery pack brings, namely a dual-disc brake setup in the front.
The bodywork, headlight, and seat have changed as well. These draw a line between the Livewire and the Sportster lineup fairly well, rather than having the Livewire sit a bit outside of the current Harley-Davidson aesthetic.
We’re not sure if we care for the more classic cruiser lines on this modern power bike, but this revision will likely help the production version of the Livewire ease the tensions of the Bar & Shield masses, and make the electric motorcycle a shorter bridge to cross, mentally.
Performance isn’t being talked about, but we would imagine similar power figures to the concept bike that Harley-Davidson toured in 2014, though with considerably more weight and range.
The Livewire is the first step in Harley-Davidson’s electric future, and it is a big step forward for this otherwise conservative American brand.
With this model’s introduction, Harley-Davidson will move itself from a brand that has been stuck in a decade that long ago passed us by, and it will become a brand that is leading the motorcycle industry.
There has been a great deal of smoke around electric motorcycles in the industry thus far, but very few OEMs have made fire from it. Harley-Davidson will be one of the first to introduce an electric into its motorcycle range, and it will be the first brand to do so with a large street bike.
Expect to see the Harley-Davidson Livewire official debut this time next year, as an early 2020 model.
Partnering with the Forward Racing team, MV Agusta aims to take advantage of the rule changes for the 2019 season, which will see a 765cc Triumph three-cylinder engine replacing the 600cc Honda four-cylinder engine that is currently in use.
This change in the spec-engine rule will likely upheave the Moto2 Championship, and MV Agusta wants to be part of that sea change. As such, the bike you see in the photos here will be the machine that launches MV Agusta’s assault on the GP paddock.
To make the MV Agusta Moto2 race bike, MV Agusta is leaning heavily on its experience with its three-cylinder platform, and as such you can see some strong ties between the Moto2 bike and the F3 supersport.
Both bikes share a hybrid frame, that has steel trellis design mated to an aluminum plate. The swingarm is also aluminum, CNC’d into form with an integrated pressed sheet.
The fuel tank is easily visible, poking out from underneath the tail section. This helps to centralize the fuel load, and means the characteristic of the race bike won’t change drastically as the fuel is consumed. It also means that the “fuel tank” is really a large airbox cover.
Feeding that air box is a central air inlet, which has the same diamond shape as the headlight on the F3 supersport, again helping to draw a line between the two programs.
Suspension is by Öhlins, and the wheels are forged magnesium pieces from OZ Racing. The 675cc motor is obviously from Triumph, and it comes with a slipper clutch from FCC and an exhaust from SC-Project.
MV Agusta lists the specs on the Moto2 bike as having a 24 rake, 104mm of trail, a 1382mm wheelbase, and a dry weight of 217kg (478 lbs) when the rider is included, per Moto2 rules.
Contrary to popular belief, MV Agusta’s Moto2 project was done in house, in association with its technical partners. Still, with Moto2 a fiercely competitive racing class, it will be interesting to see how the project does on its opening season.
In terms of development, MV Agusta looks to be behind its competitors. Earlier this year, we already saw the new Moto2 bikes from Kalex, KTM, and NTS on the track with Triumph, testing the new three-cylinder engine.
It’s not clear if MV Agusta has been on the track yet with its Moto2 bike, though last we heard from the brand, they were aiming for this summer for testing, which likely means that they are heading to the track as we speak.
MV Agusta has told us that they are in to Moto2 for the long-haul though, and are well aware of the learning experience ahead of them. With a veteran Moto2 team helping the Italian brand, MV Agusta has a strong partner in Forward Racing.
And now, we know that they will have the most beautiful bike on the grid as well.
In case you missed the new, Harley-Davidson dropped a number of new model concepts on us today, all which are to go into production by the 2022 model year. We have already shown you the ADV concept, as well as the Streetfighter concept.
There are a bevy of electric bikes to see as well, along with an e-bike program, but right now we want to focus your attention on the Harley-Davidson Custom, a modern take on the Sportster platform. It might be the first cruiser that we have actually lusted over.
For the loyal Asphalt & Rubber readers on this page, that statement should certainly say something about how much we are digging this potent v-twin concept.
Using the 1,250cc version of Harley-Davidson’s new modular, liquid-cooled, DOHC, v-twin engine, the Custom takes a number of cues from Harley-Davidsons of the past and future.
From the current lineup, the Harley-Davidson Custom has flavors of the company’s Fat Bob in it, especially its squinting front-end, which features even more heavily on the ADV concept bike that was released today as well.
The chassis gives a nod to the upcoming Livewire electric cruiser, with the two machines sharing a swingarm design. Meanwhile, the rest of the bike looks like Sportsters from the past, namely the XR1200, with a very clean tail end.
The overall effect is a handsome motorcycle, which should perform quite well with the largest version of the new power plant within its frame.
The Harley-Davidson Custom is sporty without being a sport bike, which is something that the current Harley-Davidson lineup has lacked, ever since the XR1200 was discontinued.
The high-mounted shotgun exhaust helps exude performance, but you know the bike must be fast if there is only room for one on that tiny seat.
We never thought we would be lusting over a model from Harley-Davidson like this, and considering all the new machines that the Bar & Shield brand is teasing us with today, it is strange that this is the one that has caught our attention the most.
Check the date. Look outside to see if swine have taken flight. Has anyone seen four dudes on horseback? May you live in interesting times, indeed.
Don’t change a thing, Harley-Davidson. Leave the Custom concept just the way it is, when you bring it to market in 2020.
Harley-Davidson has ambitious plans for the 2020 model year, releasing a number of concept teasers today for new motorcycles. These plans include an adventure-touring model, some electric models including e-bikes, a new roadster “custom”, and perhaps our favorite, a streetfighter model.
Based around the same modular engine design, which will have a variety of displacements (500cc to 1,250cc), the Harley-Davidson Streetfighter will get the 975cc version of the liquid-cooled v-twin engine.
Perhaps the most lithe machine we have seen from the Bar & Shield brand, the Harley-Davidson Streetfighter looks the part, albeit in a very Harley-Davidson way.
We say this because the big v-twin engine sits load and proud in the chassis, like it is on display and there to remind everyone that this bike comes from Milwaukee. The exhaust look like a cruiser exhaust too, almost parallel to the ground and slash-cut.
But, there are strong performance pieces here as well. Radial brakes clamp a dual-set of rotors on the front wheel, which looks to be 17″ in diameter.
The rest of the Streetfighter’s ergonomics and design are very sporty, in Harley-Davidson’s use of the word, and draw a clear line back to the company’s cruiser-heavy (or is that heavy cruiser?) lineup.
Of note is the fact that Harley-Davidson is using a belt drive for its Streetfighter model, which is surely going to be a turnoff for most sport-minded people, who would prefer a chain drive on their machines. We don’t see it as a deal-breaker though.
What we do take issue with is the rest of the bike, which looks a bit lost-in-translation in cruiser-speak to sport-biker.
The first thing that caught our eye is how short the swingarm looks, and this could be one of two issues.
First, it could just be the angle of the two photos that Harley-Davidson provided us, which don’t give a great glimpse of the machine. Or, the massive v-twin engine sits quite far back in the chassis, requiring a short swingarm to keep the wheelbase reasonable.
Zooming in on the high-resolution photos (go ahead and click them, we spared no pixels), we can see that a 180/55 rear tire from Michelin is used on the concept, which is smaller than what you would expect in this segment, but is inline with Harley-Davidson’s “middleweight” designation for this bike.
Continuing that thought, the most interesting feature on the Harley-Davidson Streetfighter is actually an omission, as we see no wheel-speed sensor on the rear wheel, which leaves us to wonder if the Bar & Shield brand will be bringing any electronic rider aids to the model, like traction control or ABS.
Or if like the Motus it competes with, the 2020 Harley-Davidson Streetfighter will be old school and analog. Will that be a hit or a miss for this new Streetfighter? Time will certainly tell.
For now, it’s clear that Harley-Davidson is getting out of its comfort zone, and exploring new ideas. Expect to see the Harley-Davidson Streetfighter debut for the 2020 model year.
For as long as Asphalt & Rubber has been in business, we have never seen Harley-Davidson debut an actual new motorcycle.
Rehashing the same design ethos over and over again, Harley-Davidson’s “new” bikes each year fail to stray very far from their predecessors. This notion changes today, however.
Releasing a number of concepts for future machines, the Bar & Shield brand is showing signs of life. The concepts include electric motorcycles, e-bikes, a new roadster, a streetfighter, and even an adventure-tourer.
We will take a look at these machines in turn, but first up, let’s look at Harley-Davidson’s biggest surprise to us, its ADV bike, which is called the Harley-Davidson Pan America.
Set to debut in 2020, the Harley-Davidson Pan America will use a 1,250cc “middleweight” v-twin engine from the Bar & Shield brand.
This new power plant will be a part of a family of engines, that will range from 500cc to 1,250cc, and power Harley-Davidson’s radical new models. Another engine will fill the 250cc to 500cc void, and then of course there will be the electric two-wheeled models.
For the Harley-Davidson Pan America, the concept looks like it picks up where the Buell Ulysses left off. The design is polarizing, some might say it is even “ugly”, but it also stands apart from the crowd, evokes a certain utilitarianism, and draws some links back to Harley-Davidson’s cruiser offerings.
Noticeable from the single photo that Harley-Davidson provided us is copious amounts of grab rail, including one at the front of the bike, all of which double as crash bars for the Pan America.
The motorcycle looks extremely wide, especially for being a v-twin, with the width betrayed by the beefy skid plate. Handguards, a tall windscreen, and a very ADV tail section complete the dual-sport look, as do the knobby tires.
The front wheel looks to be 19″ in diameter, which suggests an on-road bias, and the wheels are of a tubeless design, with the spokes going to the edge of the rim.
It is hard to guess performance from a single photo and minimal information, but the Harley-Davidson Pan America should compete with bikes like the Ducati Multistrada 1260, BMW R1200GS, and Triumph Tiger 1200.
Pan America is a truly unique model from Harley-Davidson, and we certainly didn’t expect Milwaukee to be working on an adventure-tourer motorcycle for the 2020. But, maybe we should have.
The Pan America takes a page from the Carducci Dual Sport playbook, and then whitewashes it within the Harley-Davidson corporate boardroom.
Less aggressive, and less off-road capable than the Carducci, the Pan America shows that Harley-Davidson was paying attention to what the custom seen was doing with its engines, and borrowed the thought.
Certainly everyone will be drawing comparisons between the Harley-Davidson Pan America and the Buell Ulysses. I’m just not sure that is a good thing, in more ways than one.
Yamaha Factory Racing made history at the Suzuka 8-Hours today, claiming their fourth consecutive victory in the great race.
This Japanese endurance race has become one of the biggest spectacles on the motorcycling calendar, and there were moments of today’s 199 laps that would have felt like an eternity for Michael van der Mark and Alex Lowes.
With Katsuyuki Nakasuga ruled out with a shoulder injury following a crash in yesterday’s practice session, the burden fell on his teammates to deliver success.
They duly did, but not until they had overcome a huge challenge from Kawasaki.
Going into the race week, it was clear that Yamaha was irked by the underdog status that was granted onto Kawasaki.
Team Green may not have won at the 8-Hours before, and it is a full 25 years since Kawasaki claimed their sole win, but with Jonathan Rea and a host of his KRT WorldSBK squad involved, it was clear this was a changed outfit.
Their all-new bike was turned inside out and upside down by Pere Riba, and the test team in advance of this race. They were rewarded with Rea’s stunning pace in Friday qualifying, and in the Shootout session with pole position.
The Kawasaki was the fastest bike at Suzuka this week, but the Yamaha was the most consistent.
After a typhoon last night, the day looked set to start with dry conditions and the threat of rain later. Instead, a shower of biblical proportions erupted over Suzuka just 15 minutes before the start of the race.
Nervous tension descended on the spectacular circuit, and you could see the worry etched on riders faces; they knew the challenge ahead.
Avoiding a mistake in those treacherous opening minutes was key, and it was the Red Bull Honda team that grabbed the early initiative, with Takahashi leading from Haslam’s Kawasaki.
The Number 21 Yamaha was fourth, with Van der Mark biding his time. The heat and a stiff breeze dried the track quickly, and it was Sylvain Guintoli who gambled first on switching to slicks. He made his decision at the best possible time and Van der Mark followed suit a lap later.
It took Kawasaki another tour to pit, and by the time Rea had emerged from the pits, he was fourth and having to fight through the group.
At the front, everyone waited for Honda to pit, but they stood firm and waited. Rea was on a charge and quickly dispatched of Guintoli and Van der Mark. While many expected Rea to ease away from the pack, it wasn’t a script that the Yamaha rider had read.
We were treated to one of the best battles in memory at Suzuka, as for an hour the leaders traded blows. It was stunning racing. After an hour of racing, only a tenth of a second separated them.
The battle continued in Hour 2, with Kawasaki and Yamaha replacing teammates respectively.
Haslam started the stint with an advantage of five seconds, but Lowes quickly bridged that and set about trying to take the lead. He managed to get through a couple of times, before making it stick by the end of the hour.
A Yamaha advantage of one second was overturned by Kawasaki in Hour 3, in what was rapidly becoming a WorldSBK race spread over eight hours. It was close, it was frantic, and ultimately it was unsustainable.
During the middle hours the wheels came off the Kawasaki challenge as the number 11 ran out of fuel and later Rea crashed.
“I’m not actually sure what happened in my crash,” said Rea. “It was raining and I was on slicks. I wanted to pit, and probably should have stuck to my guns, and came into the pits, but I rode to my pitboard and stayed out. I was off the gas and the rear came around like a speedway bike and I crashed.”
In that instant, the race was determined with Kawasaki losing a lap to the Yamaha. It elevated the Number 33 Honda to second spot. The team had just sent PJ Jacobsen out on track, and the New Yorker had his hands full.
“It was a strange race for me,” said Jacobsen. “I got out on track, and it was in the wet. I’d not ridden here in the rain before, so I was in at the deep-end and trying to learn it quickly! I’m really glad that we were able to finish second today, and I want to thank HRC and the team.”
Having not been called into action during the qualifying Shootout, Jacobsen spent the majority of the race on the sidelines, but once on the bike, it was when Honda had just taken the lead.
Having led the early stages of the race with their Fireblade, it seemed that the team had waited too long to make the switch to slick tires in Hour 1, but that decision defined their race, and allowed them to stay a pit stop ahead of Yamaha for the majority of the race.
Jacobsen was in the lead when an hour-long safety car period came to an end, but was quickly hunted down by Van der Mark.
Even so, it was a solid stint and he handed over to his teammates, having consolidated Honda’s grip on second position. Honda would ultimately take two stops less than Yamaha, who came in for a splash and dash at the end of the race, and were the best team in the pits by a distance.
“What can I say three in a row, and four in a row for Yamaha!” exclaimed Alex Lowes. “It definitely wasn’t an easy day for me and Michael because unfortunately Nakasuga-san picked up the injury.”
“It was a tough race, but Michael did a great job, and he had the worst of the conditions, so it wasn’t an easy race for him. We managed to race really well and stuck to our plan.”
“After the second half, we had a bit of a gap, and managed to stay calm and bring the bike to flag. The first two stints in the dry we were strong, I’m probably a bit surprised how strong we were, but it was a great day and a fantastic feeling to win again.”
The final hours passed with Kawasaki making up ground, but it was too little, too late, and they would finish the race third.
Behind the Yamaha, Honda, and Kawasaki entries was the first Suzuki of the Number 95 crew. Having seen the Yoshimura Suzuki squad beset by problems, it was the turn of the 95 to lead the charge.
Tommy Bridewell, recently sacked in BSB, had a superb 8-Hours. In fifth position, the FCC TSR Honda squad claimed the Endurance World Championship with a solid race at Suzuka – a fitting end to the Championship and the Suzuka 8-Hours.
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Our Suzuka 8-Hours coverage is made possible by our A&R Pro members. If you like reading this unique race coverage on Asphalt & Rubber, you should consider supporting this content by signing up for A&R Pro.
Honda doesn’t want you to see these photos. I am pretty sure that there is a dark room somewhere on the Suzuka Circuit facility, possibly guarded by Yakuza henchmen, where they are keeping Steve captive for his misdeeds in bringing you the detailed photos we are about to show you.
This is how seriously HRC is taking this year’s Suzuka 8-Hours.
“Win at all costs” is the mantra being used by the Red Bull Honda team, which will field PJ Jacobsen, Takaaki Nakagami, and Takumi Takahashi at this year’s edition of the race. Their goal is simple: to restore honor to the company, and win the most prestigious race on the Japanese calendar.
To do this, Honda has built a special machine. A one-off superbike, this Honda CBR1000RR SP2 was designed to race at only one race track, for only one race, for only three riders. This Honda represents everything that HRC knows about making an endurance racing machine.
As you can imagine then, while this story starts with a bit of hyperbole, it isn’t far from reality.
Clad in Öhlins suspension, Nissin brakes, and Bridgestone tires, the Red Bull Honda team has leveraged some of the best in the business to win at Suzuka, and these three choices are critical.
Typically we see Honda partnering with Showa suspension, but lately HRC has been using Öhlins (and the mountain of data and development that the Swedish brand brings with it) for its racing applications.
At one point in time, there had been a goal of developing Showa into an Öhlins rival (HRC accounts for roughly half of Showa’s business), but the use of the “gold bits” here shows that Honda has taken a more pragmatic approach for Suzuka. Remember, win at all costs.
Honda is however staying with Nissin, another Japanese brand that has strong ties to Big Red. This isn’t surprising, since Honda owns over ⅓ of Nissin’s publicly traded stock. But, this move does fly in the face of the paddock standard of using Brembo brakes.
However, Nissin has benefitted greatly from Honda’s co-development of the brand, and as a result the Nissin braking package has improved immensely.
As such, the braking components on the Red Bull Honda CBR1000RR SP2 are straight from Nissin’s MotoGP program, adapted for quick-change pit stops of course. The feedback is little different with Nissin, especially on brake-release, but Honda’s riders have had little issue adapting to them.
Lastly, Bridgestone tires are the de facto ingredient for winning at Suzuka, as the Japanese tire brand has figured out how to make a tire last around this incredibly long and difficult circuit, during the blistering heat of summer.
At the handlebars, we see the usual flurry of switches, which control a Magneti Marelli electronics package. It was last year at the Suzuka 8-Hours that Honda decided to switch from Cosworth to Magneti Marelli for its electronics, with the Suzuka team’s gizmos outshining those in the WorldSBK paddock.
So far, the system has been solid for Red Bull Honda, but an eight-hour race around Suzuka is a test unlike any other.
Moving our way around the machine, we see copious amounts of carbon fiber being used – spare no expense, and win at all costs – but we also see tricks of the trade, to ensure as little time is spent in the pits as possible.
Crash buttons have been integrated into the fairing design, streamlined from the wind, but ready to protect the important bits during a topple.
Cropped partially out of view, we can also see the side-mount for Honda’s lifting stand, right in front of the generator cover. This easy system to lift the bike helps get the front wheel off the ground, while the rear-end is lifted with a more traditional swingarm stand.
The rear swingarm has been modified from the production version, though keeps a very similar shape to it. Its rigidity has likely been increased, for added stiffness, and lightened for less unsprung weight.
Also visible is the full titanium exhaust, which was made in-house at HRC. Honda’s ability to make custom parts doesn’t end there, of course, and I think one of my favorite details is the rear brake lever, which has an added step on it.
This likely not only gives the riders a larger platform to push on when braking, but also has the added benefit of allowing the rear brake to be actuated after a crash snaps the toe lever off.
It is clever details like this that sets Honda above the rest, especially at Suzuka.
Even with all these technological tricks and mechanical masterstrokes, the Red Bull Honda team will have a mountain to climb at the Suzuka 8-Hours this year.
The pace of the Yamaha Factory Racing Team and Kawasaki Team Green has been astounding.
Many in the paddock are saying that Yamaha and Kawasaki are on another level, with Honda trailing behind. But, what happens in practice and qualifying holds little weight to what can occur during the race.
Endurance racing requires speed and consistency, and in eight hours, anything can happen.
Our Suzuka 8-Hours coverage is made possible by our A&R Pro members. If you like reading this unique race coverage on Asphalt & Rubber, you should consider supporting this content by signing up for A&R Pro.
Outside of Europe, we doubt we could find many motorcyclists who would know which team is currently leading the FIM Endurance World Championship. We will save you the struggle, and tell you outright that it is the F.C.C. TSR Honda France squad.
Technical Sports Racing (TSR), is based out of Japan, but is partnered with Honda France for endurance racing, hence the name. From Europe, they have launched an assault on the 2018 FIM Endurance World Championship, with riders Josh Hook, Freddy Foray, and Alan Techer.
Each season, TSR is a team to watch, and this year is no different.
It is of note however that F.C.C. TSR Honda has never won the EWC title, but they go into the Suzuka 8-Hourswith a 10-point advantage over the GMT94 Yamaha outfit – and TSR does have a winning history at Suzuka.
The 2006, 2011, and 2012 winners of the Suzuka 8-Hours, the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team is vying for the championship on its home turf, as the Suzuka Circuit is just a handful of kilometers from its Japanese base of operations.
Closely tied to Honda, F.C.C. TSR Honda France is factory-supported team in the Endurance World Championship, which is both a blessing and a curse. When the team wins, its victories are attributed to HRC, however when the team loses, its defeats are its own.
So far this season, TSR has won two races (Le Mans & Oschersleben), stood on the podium in Slovakia, and finished 6th at the Bol d’Or season-opener.
Besides a lead advantage and a strong rider lineup, F.C.C. TSR Honda France has a secret weapon over the GMT94 Yamaha team – its Bridgestone tires. While the Yamaha is using the popular Dunlop rubber for its FIM EWC season, F.C.C. TSR Honda has been on Bridgestone tires.
At most circuits, this makes less of a difference, but at the Suzuka 8-Hours, it is a huge factor. Of note, all the one-off Suzuka teams will be using Bridgestone tires on race day, and it is not just because they share a nationality.
This makes the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team the favorite to win the 2018 FIM World Endurance Championship (keep an eye out for their blue bike), and before someone stops you on the street and asks you about them, we thought you could use this insightful video below, which just makes you want to cheer for TSR even more. Enjoy!
